Fórsa and other public service unions have been in official discussions about the establishment of the independent body charged with addressing the additional working time introduced for many public servants in 2013. Work on restoring the so-called ‘Haddington Road hours’ is required under Building Momentum, the new public service agreement which was overwhelmingly backed by Fórsa members last month.

Under the deal, the independent body is to be set up by the end of this month. Last week, Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) officials said they were talking to the public expenditure minister about its composition and the resourcing of a secretariat to support its work.

The body will take submissions from management and unions representing the grades concerned, and make recommendations by the end of 2021. Roll-out of these recommendations will begin within the lifetime of the agreement, with €150 million available to commence implementation during 2022.

Fórsa fought hard for the inclusion of the process in Building Momentum. As a result, workers whose hours were increased under the Haddington Road deal can expect to see reductions in working time from next year.

Sectoral talks

Meanwhile, unions and management agreed to put back the end-of-March date for defining the different groups of grades and staff categories for the sectoral bargaining element of the agreement. Once these ‘sectoral bargaining units’ are agreed, work can begin on how an additional 1% of pay will be distributed through sectoral bargaining.

The agreed one-month delay in agreeing the units was deemed necessary because of the delayed ratification of the agreement. This arose because some unions found the initial timetable for ballots too challenging under Level Five Covid restrictions.

It is expected that some groups will want to use the funds to address – or start to address – longstanding grade issues, while others will simply apply the 1% increase to all staff in the category. Payment of this element of the deal falls due next February.

Reforms

The DPER engagement also included a discussion of the reform measures set out in the agreement, which acknowledges the recent “unprecedented display of commitment, flexibility, hard work and agility in public service provision.”

It says this momentum should be harnessed to meet challenges like the continuing response to Covid-19, a return to normal delivery of education and health services, remote working, digitisation, and managing the response to Brexit.

Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan, who leads the union team in the talks, highlighted the modest nature of the increases involved and said balance needed to be achieved to properly reflect progress on broader issues.

“Contentious issues within sectors, which might be relatively narrow in scope, should not be allowed paint a negative picture in circumstances where the main objectives in relation to the headline issues identified in the agreement are being met,” he said.

Read our summary of Building Momentum HERE. 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Fórsa is continuing to campaign for the reinstatement of flexitime across the local authority sector. Staff working remotely, or working a combination of at-home and in-office hours, still don’t have access to the scheme after its temporary suspension was announced at the outset of the Covid-19 emergency.

The union referred the issue to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) where a conciliation conference was facilitated last month. It criticised employers for breaching collective agreements and failing to advance any reasonable rationale for their decision.

The head of Fórsa’s Local Government Division, Peter Nolan, said workers had now lost the opportunity to accumulate flexi-leave for over 12 months.

“No acceptable reasoning has ever been provided for the decision to suspend flexitime. This is incredibly unfair to the affected workers, particularly in light of the current difficulties in accessing childcare,” he said.

The Local Government Management Agency (LGMA), which represents local authority employers, said it was unable to directly engage with the union because the suspension of flexitime was a public service-wide measure instigated by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER).

The LGMA said it would relay Fórsa’s concerns to DPER and respond within two weeks.

Fόrsa has also raised this matter directly with DPER and will now consider a cross-sectoral response to the matter.

Normal flexitime arrangements for civil and public servants working regular hours from the workplace were reintroduced last August after engagement with Fórsa on the issue.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Fórsa has reaffirmed its position that forced transfers of local authority workers to Irish Water will not be accepted. The approach was underlined at a special joint meeting of the unions’ two divisions with workers in the sector – the Local Government Division and the Municipal Employees Division – which took place earlier this month to consider Government’s recently published policy paper on the future of water services.

The meeting welcomed assurances given by local government minister Darragh O’Brien that local authority workers won’t be made transfer to Irish Water if an agreement is reached. But Fórsa remains adamant that there will be no forced transfer of staff, no matter the outcome of discussions.

The head of the two divisions, Peter Nolan, told members that the Government policy paper would have an impact on all local authority workers, as local authority income would be reduced dramatically if union demands to develop new services were not agreed.

“Cuts in local authority financing will have an impact across the board for all staff in terms of career development and promotional opportunities,” he said.

The union also expects all existing agreements in relation to redeployment to be honoured by the department.

The president of Fórsa’s Municipal Employees division, Thomas Murtagh, said workers and their families were worried about the future. “We will not tolerate compulsory conscription to Irish Water. Fórsa members want to stay working for the local authority,” he said.

Fórsa and other unions in the sector have been in discussions at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) based on a four-stranded process to address conditions of employment, the status and governance of any new water entity, constitutional protection against privatisation, and the threat to wider local government services that would follow the removal of a substantial income stream.

Read the departmental policy paper HERE.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has called for an end to forced retirement and a return to a full State retirement pension at age 65. In a submission to a public consultation run by the Pensions Commission, ICTU also supports a flexible pension age, the return of the Pension Reserves Fund, and an increase in employers’ PRSI contributions.

It also argues against the privatisation of the long-awaited auto enrolment scheme, which would give all employees access to an occupational pension with contributions from workers, their employer and the State.

The Pensions Commission launched its consultative process in February, with a view to looking at ways to ensure the long-term sustainability of State pensions and the social insurance fund.

Fórsa official Billy Hannigan said that the union strongly supported the ICTU submission, and has been advocating for its recommendations for some time.

“Congress and its affiliates have long advocated for income support for working people in retirement,” he said.

The submission makes a strong case against the privatisation of the auto-enrolment pension scheme, which has long been seen as an essential tool in ensuring people have enough to live on in retirement. Ireland is currently the only OECD country lacking a mandatory occupational pension for its workforce.

“Congress is calling for the auto-enrolment scheme to be managed and paid out as a pay-related top-up benefit on the contributory State pension to auto-enrolled beneficiaries. This has the potential to transform the State pension, so that pensioners avoid poverty and maintain their pre-retirement standard of living,” he said.

The ICTU submission calls for a full retirement pension at age 65. The age for eligibility for the State pension was increased to 66 in 2014, though plans to raise it to 67 from this year have been suspended.

While the benefit payment for 65 year olds, introduced earlier this year, was signaled as progress, unions criticised the fact that it’s €45 a week less than the State pension.

“This leaves low-income retirees, who do not have a supplementary pension, dependent on a subsistence benefit that is significantly below the poverty line. This has to be rectified,” said Billy.

The Commission on Pensions is due to report its findings, options and recommendations to the social protection minister by the end of June.

Read ICTU’s submission HERE. 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Fórsa has reached agreement on a shared register for local authorities in the South-East, to ensure the correct implementation of confined recruitment ratios set out in a national deal.

The national agreement was reached in the Workplace Relations Commission, where the union secured the creation of a new system of confined competitions for promotion to local authority grades IV to VII. The agreement provides that:

• 20% of promotion posts are confined to eligible candidates in their own local authority
• 50% of promotion posts are confined to eligible candidates in the local authority sector nationwide, and
• 30% of promotion posts are open to public competition.

Now Carlow and Wexford county councils have agreed to establish a shared register to ensure that the ratios are maintained. And Kilkenny County Council has agreed in principle that it will support this common approach across the South-East.

Previous agreements have generally led to disputes about when the agreed types of competitions were due.

Fórsa official Lisa Connell said the union had moved to ensure the fullest application of the new arrangements in the region.

“Coupled with the national agreement, the shared register approach greatly increases the number of opportunities open and available to our members in each local authority. It will underpin promotion prospects envisaged in the national deal,” she said.

The national agreement, which increased the percentage of grade IV posts to be filled by confined competition from 50% to 70%, was accepted in a nationwide ballot of relevant members.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Fórsa members in Scouting Ireland will move to a three-day week with a commensurate reduction in pay later this month. This comes after the organisation’s board decided to impose a shorter working week due to financial difficulties encountered as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Staff were informed in February that their working hours would be reduced by 40% after the organisation lost over a fifth of its members last year. While the measure is set to be temporary, there is no indication yet as to when regular hours will be restored.

Fórsa official, Dessie Robinson said the lack of consultation on the decision was disappointing.

“This is not something that staff were involved in and Scouting Ireland didn’t liaise with the union before taking this course of action. We understand and accept the organisation is suffering financially. But we also expect the employer to follow proper protocol and engage with worker representatives before implementing such significant measures," he said. 

The union is meeting Scouting Ireland once a month and is advocating for a return to full-time work as soon as possible.

In a letter circulated to staff, the organisation's chief executive said Scouting Ireland intends to promptly re-instate full time work. “The board is committed in every way to improving our situation and is working towards bringing all staff back to a five-day week as soon as possible,” she said.

Scouting Ireland is one of the largest youth movements in the country with over 12,000 volunteers and 36,000 young members.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Fórsa has raised concerns over sick leave arrangements for staff who suffer from ‘long Covid.’

In recent engagements with senior officials of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), the union said changes to DPER’s approach to Covid-related sick leave risked leaving long Covid sufferers with reduced incomes. It said some such cases had already emerged.

In general, 28 days’ worth of special leave with full pay is available for staff who contract the virus. This doesn’t count towards their normal paid sick leave ceiling.

The most recent DPER circular on the subject says this can be extended in circumstances where a worker has been attending their work premises during the 14 days prior to a positive Covid test.

Most people who contract the virus, and don’t need intensive care treatment, recover within three weeks. But some experience debilitating symptoms for months after the infection has gone.

These commonly include profound fatigue, but long Covid sufferers can also experience coughs, breathlessness, muscle and body aches, chest heaviness, skin rashes, palpitations, fever, headaches, diarrhoea, or pins and needles.

In a letter to DPER, Fórsa general secretary Kevin Callinan said the situation in relation to long Covid continues to evolve, with greater awareness and evidence emerging about the significance for those who suffer from it.

And he said provisions for extending the leave in cases where employees had been in the workplace prior to contracting the virus are not sufficiently understood by managers.

The union is continuing to engage with senior management on the issue.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Get involved in the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' (ICTU) campaign to tackle misinformation surrounding mask-wearing. Under the banner ‘pro-mask is pro-worker,’ the initiative will highlight the importance of following public health guidelines to protect workers.  

From next week, Fórsa is asking members to participate by taking a selfie wearing a facemask and posting it to social media using the hashtags #ProMaskIsProWorker and #StrongerTogether. 

Members are also encouraged to email a selfie to Fórsa’s director of campaigning at joconnor@forsa.ie, along with a story or quote as to why compliance with mask wearing, uptake of vaccines, or generally adhering to the public health measures is important to them in their work.

A selection of these will be posted across Fórsa’s social media channels in the coming days and weeks.  

This campaign forms part of the union movement’s efforts to counteract dangerous messaging emerging from far-right groups, which seeks to undermine public health guidance and place frontline and essential workers at increased risk.  

Fórsa deputy general secretary, Eoin Ronayne condemned the anti-mask rhetoric. “It works directly against the efforts of our members, and is an insult to the loss and sacrifice suffered by so many in our country,” he said. 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Over 98% of Dublin fire-fighters paramedics have now been vaccinated, Fórsa can confirm.

Vaccinations of the workers, who are in the 1b category of frontline staff, paused in January when supplies earmarked for Dublin Fire Brigade were redirected to nursing homes.

Following negotiations, Fórsa received confirmation that the vaccination rollout for the fire fighters, who are also paramedics, would resume. Fórsa official Dessie Robinson said: “This is excellent progress. It’s vital that we continue to protect our essential frontline workers.”

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

Fórsa marked this year’s International Women’s Day 2021 with a week-long programme of online content, incorporating this year’s ‘choose to challenge’ theme.

In a series of blog posts featured on our website, a number of women’s issues were discussed, ranging from the gender pay gap, to domestic violence workplace policies and the gender pension gap.

With guest contributions from Fórsa’s activist Melissa Brennan, and Siptu deputy general secretary Ethel Buckley, the series is both informative and thought-provoking.

For more information on the series click HERE.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

New legislation being drafted by the European Commission will oblige large companies to publish details of their gender pay gaps.

The draft directive would see firms with more than 250 employees publishing annual pay gap stats, which would cover bonuses and benefits as well as core pay. The legislation will also compel firms to reveal the proportion of men and women in each pay band.

Under the proposed rules, employers would be prohibited from asking interviewees about their pay history. And they would have to inform job applicants about pay ranges prior to any job interview.

The laws would extend to smaller firms as well, although they would not be required to make the information public. Instead, they would have to provide the information to employees on request.

Ireland currently has a pay gap of 14.4%, according to Eurostat figures.

Fórsa’s equality officer Andy Pike said that the proposed directive would be a step forward to eliminate pay secrecy, but there was a lot of work to be done still.

“The directive calls on firms to publish data on their differences, but it falls short of proposing proactive methods to tackle the gap. It does little to call on employers to actively take steps to reduce the gaps or equip firms with the necessary skills and tools to combat the issue.

“The announcement by Minister O’Gorman to further our own domestic bill is welcome, but as with the EU legislation, attention must be paid to measures to tackle the gap. Transparency alone around the issue is not enough.

There is a real opportunity now for trade unions to be part of this conversation and make use of collective bargaining to devise and implement restorative measures,” he said.

The legislation says a company-wide pay assessment would be triggered if average pay differences of 5% or more were reported. This could lead to filing of compensation claims in the courts. But decisions on fines or penalties would be at the discretion of national authorities, with input from equality bodies and employee organisations.

At present, 13 EU countries have binding pay transparency rules in place. If the bill is agreed by the bloc’s 27 members, it would have to be drafted into national law within two years.

Meanwhile, Irish equality minister Roderic O’Gorman has said he was committed to enacting the Gender Pay Gap Information Bill “as early as possible.” Earlier this week he said he would bring amendments to Cabinet in the next fortnight.

The Bill, which would place requirements on employers to reveal pay gap information, was first published in 2019. But little was done to further its progression.

Read the European Commission proposals HERE.

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) has published new guidelines on the prevention of bullying and harassment for trade union activists. 

Produced by ICTU’s health and safety committee, the comprehensive guide encompasses the recent review of codes of practice on bullying carried out the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

The document also takes note of guidance provided in the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission’s code of practice on sexual harassment and harassment at work.

Fórsa official and ICTU health and safety committee member Dessie Robinson acknowledged the significant work done to create the policy document, and encouraged all activists to familiarise themselves with it.

“This is a living document for our people, and I would encourage all activists to read it and use it in their union work,” he said.

The ICTU guide on the prevention of bullying and harassment for trade union activists can be viewed HERE. 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Fairtrade fortnight, which ran from 22^nd February to 7^th March 2021, focused its attention on climate change this year to highlight the growing challenges that climate change brings to farmers and workers in the communities Fairtrade works with.

The annual campaign, which runs for two weeks each year, raises awareness on alternative approaches to conventional trade. It’s based on a partnership between some of the most disadvantaged farmers and workers in the developing world and the people who buy their products.

Fair trade terms give farmers and workers a better deal, and an opportunity to improve their lives and plan for their future. It offers people a powerful way to reduce poverty through their everyday shopping.

Building on research by Oliver Moore, the campaign says the majority of greenhouse gas emissions have occurred in the last 30 years, and over 90% of emissions have come from the places like Europe and the US.

The campaign says those who have contributed the least to the carbon crisis should not have to pay the highest price to try and resolve it.

Yet, vulnerable rural populations in the global south are currently paying the highest price, as climate impacts are being seen in more frequent chaotic climate events like hurricanes, droughts and floods which add on to pre-existing vulnerabilities like poverty, exclusion and exploitation. 

Ireland’s leading climate change expert Professor John Sweeney said Ireland emits more greenhouse gases than the poorest 400 million people on the planet.

“Almost uniquely in the EU, Ireland is failing to meet its obligations and is increasing its greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.

Fairtrade Ireland works to promote fair trading practices between Ireland and developing countries. It is a founding member of Fairtrade International, based in Germany, the organisation responsible for setting international fair trade standards.

Check out Irish partners and shop HERE. 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

The Justice for Undocumented (JFU) group has called on unions and other membership organisations to support its continuing efforts to voice the priorities of undocumented people, ahead of the publication of the regularisation scheme for undocumented people, which is to open before the end of 2021.

Preparations for the scheme are already underway at the Department of Justice and Equality. The Migrant Rights Centre Ireland (MRCI) is seeking support “to make sure no one is left behind” as the group ramp up their efforts with a number of actions, including a social media campaign for Saint Patrick’s Day.

Justice for the Undocumented (JFU) is a community of people living in Ireland without an official status. The group campaigns “for a pathway to papers for all undocumented people in Ireland. We believe that if you are living here and working here, you belong here.”

The social media action invites everyone to show their support for regularisation, and to ask justice minister Helen McEntee to ensure the scheme benefits as many undocumented people as possible.

The campaign is asking for support “at a pivotal time” and the group is campaigning for the scheme “to be as broad and inclusive as possible so that no one is left behind.”

You can sign up to support the Justice for Undocumented campaign through the MRCI’s website HERE. 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE. 

Workers who wish to join Fórsa can to do so using a new ‘join online’ function on the union’s website.

Going live with the new system follows several months of research, preparation and testing aimed at making it easier than ever to join the union. It also goes live as the union continues to process a large number of new membership applications, as interest in joining the union has surged since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis.

Fórsa’s general secretary Kevin Callinan commented: “The current crisis has created the necessity to be able to carry out our business in different ways. Work on this project had commenced before the Covid-19 crisis took hold, and its completion marks a vital step as we tackle the challenges of living in changed times.

“We can see that more people want to join a union in response to what’s happening in the wider economy. It’s vital that they can take those initial steps quickly and easily, and making the membership application process more accessible is part of that process.

“This is a crucial new venture to enable Fórsa to substantially increase our membership - and to strengthen the union’s hand - at a critical time in the union’s development,” he said.

The online facility is a streamlined and simplified membership application process, and will be the quickest and easiest way to join the union. All incoming applications will continue to be subject to check-off and approval by Fórsa branches and the national executive committee, while the new online system is designed to ease the administrative burden on branches.

You can join Fórsa online at https://join.forsa.ie/

Fórsa is here to protect you if you have problems arising from the coronavirus or other workplace issues. The best way to contact the union at this time is HERE.

We will deal with queries as quickly as we can but, needless to say, the union will prioritise cases where members’ jobs and incomes are at immediate risk – as well as any serious health and safety issues that may arise.

Fórsa has cancelled all face-to-face meetings for the time being. The union is redeploying its staff to prioritise engagement with management on proposals arising from the Covid-19 public health crisis, and to provide rapid and efficient responses to members’ queries and concerns.

Fórsa's main phone line (01 817 1500) is now open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Alternatively members can use the Contact Us page on the Fórsa website to submit queries directly to the relevant division within Fórsa and this remains the most efficient way to access advice directly.

Wherever possible, Fórsa staff have been equipped to work remotely. Therefore, members should not attend Fórsa offices at this time. If you have a query or concern, the best way to raise it is to contact the union HERE.